Characterization of a novel HLA-Cw*04 variant in a Laotian family: HLA-Cw*0406

The sequence of a new HLA-Cw*04 allele has been identified in a Laotian fam ily. This allele, designated Cw*0406, differs from Cw*0403 by a single nucl eotide substitution at codon 156 (CGG-->CTG) in the alpha 2 domain, leading to an amino acid change from Arginine to Leucine. Further screening by spe cific amplification of two ethnically different populations, i.e. French (n =150) and Lebanese (n=100), provided no case of Cw*406, suggesting that the distribution of this allele may be restricted.